Related Topics

ARS is developing ecologically-based technologies
to replace or reduce the use of pesticides to control insects in stored
grain.

Grain Marketing and Production Research Center, Manhattan, Kansas

Scope of work under Recovery Act

Amount: $440,000

Repair of critical deferred maintenance including replacement of
HVAC system and components in Buildings 3 and 5. Roof replacement and exterior
painting of Building 3 to prevent deterioration of structure and contents.

Milestones
January 2010 - Construction contract awarded for $85,265 to replace the HVAC in
Building 3 at the Center for Grain & Animal Health Research.
February 2010 - Construction contract for $373,896 for the roof replacement and
exterior painting of Building 3.

The Grain Marketing and Production Research Center develops new lines of
wheat that have unique traits that solve problems of national scope such as
more disease resistance, higher tolerance for stressful growing conditions, and
better qualities for tasks such as baking to meet domestic demand and create
markets internationally for U.S. wheat. The Center also develops new
technologies to improve the storage of grain. This work helps ensure that
consumers will always have high quality U.S. wheat products at economical
prices and reduces the environmental stresses that wheat production puts on our
natural resources

For example, the Grain Marketing and Production Research Center is
developing ecologically-based technologies to replace or reduce the use of
pesticides to control insects in stored grain.

The Center also helped develop the first commercially available instrument
to quickly measure many quality attributes--such as hardness, protein, starch,
internal insect infestation, color or disease--in single kernels. This
first-of-its-kind technology can check grain quality at a rate of one kernel
per second. Such an ability is crucial to keeping wheat competitive. For
example, if one kernel out of 100 has scab damage, this machine will detect it.
Scab is a disease that has cost some wheat growers billions of dollars in
losses. Grain inspectors have had to rely on subjective visual inspection to
assess grain quality.

Research Units

Biological Research Unit

Develop ecologically-based technologies to replace or reduce the use of
traditional pesticides to control stored-product insects. Multidisciplinary
teams conduct research on

Ecology, population dynamics, and behavior of pest and beneficial insects
leading to the development of expert systems for pest management in farm and
commercial storage;

Developing and providing genetic solutions to economically important biotic
and abiotic stress problems in hard winter wheat. We will focus on resistance
or tolerance to several recalcitrant or emerging problems that impact grain
production and/or quality.